Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because they help me navigate through this crazy thing called life. Both the personal and professional relationships I maintain have helped me get through a lot of different experiences and have made me who I am today. 

Personally, the most positive relationships I have are with Jimmy, Kylie, Nick and Rebecca. 

Professionally, the most positive relationships I've have are with Joy and Gina. 

Jimmy- he helped me become the person I am today. Before reconnecting with him after high school, I was very closed off, self critical, introverted person who was too scared to venture out on my own and meet new people. Jimmy, well Jimmy helped me get over my fears of rejections and the friends I made through him helped me to feel more comfortable, more adventurous, and more confidant in my ability to venture out on my own. Jimmy was the person I could talk to about ANYTING from life, to boys, to school and the future. Honestly, if it weren't for him, I don't think I would have been able to pick up and move 3000 miles away from everyone and every thing I know. 

Kylie- I met Kylie through Jimmy- at first the relationship was very disconnected (they were dating and always off and on) and then one day, I don't know what happened but something clicked and Kylie and I just kind of connected. She was my friend, my confidant, my late night drinks or binge rom-coms with ice cream person. We kept each other company in the good times and the bad. 

Nick- Nick is different. Our relationship started out differently but then evolved into a friendship that I am honestly so thankful for. He is the ONLY person I could be completely honest with about EVERYTHING in my life. He is always so positive and motivated, and is only a text away from making me feel better when I'm down.

Rebecca- She's a rock. Regardless of the time we've been apart or the distance, she has always been there for me and has always had the right things to say exactly when I needed to hear it. She is
my musical muse- sending me just the right song to get me through any rough times. 

Joy- Joy was my Assistant Director at my last center and a great role model and mentor. She has taught me so much in regards to ECE, mentoring and guiding others, and about being true to myself. Professionally, she has helped me come a long way in recognizing the things I needed to work on to succeed in this field. Personally, she's been a great influence and friend to me- offering guidance in major life choices both professionally, personally, and educationally. 

Gina- Gina was my Director at my last center. Gina had more confidence in me that I ever did. She gave me a lot of responsibilities in my last position and believed that I could accomplish them- and I did. She was a great motivator and mentor. She held a lot more faith and confidence in me than anyone I've ever met. 

Over time, some of the biggest challenges I have faced involved trust, communication, and acceptance. Trusting others with your thoughts and opinions is hard thus making communicating those thoughts and opinions difficult. I was a very self-conscious person growing up, so acceptance was an issue- for fear of being rejected by those I reached out to. I feel that the trust that I've built with the people listed above has been a contributing factor in the partnerships I've built since then. I trust in each of them enough to voice my thoughts and opinions, and enough to listen to and accept their inputs or criticisms. Honestly, the challenges I mentioned above are the special characteristic that aid in building partnerships. 

My ability to be comfortable and confident in myself are factors that I believe are important in building partnerships in the ECE field - especially with the families. We've talked about the importance of being culturally responsive and I feel like one way to work on your own biases are to accept them and accept yourself in order to work on overcoming those preconceived notions you hold in regards to others.